Hockey-goalkeeper pads

ABSTRACT

Hockey-goalkeeper pads wearable on body parts (e.g., legs) of a hockey goalkeeper to protect these body parts against impacts from a projectile (i.e., puck or ball) while playing hockey, in which the hockey-goalkeeper pads may be configured to enhance performance, use, and/or other aspects of goalkeeping by the hockey goalkeeper, such as by being more durable (e.g., reducing crushing of padding material), improving rebounding of the projectile (e.g., increasing a rebound speed of the projectile and/or a coefficient of restitution), and/or facilitating their donning and securing by the hockey goalkeeper (e.g., connecting to skates).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/125,134, filed Dec. 14, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to protective hockey equipment and, more particularly, to hockey-goalkeeper pads for protecting body parts of hockey goalkeepers.

BACKGROUND

Hockey goalkeepers (a.k.a. goalies) defend their team's goal in a hockey game, and, to that end, they wear various equipment, including leg pads to protect their legs against impacts from projectiles (i.e., pucks or balls), hockey sticks or other objects and/or when moving (e.g., dropping) them onto a playing surface (e.g., ice).

A hockey-goalkeeper leg pad, which is often referred to a “goalie pad”, typically comprises protective padding and an outer shell for providing padded protection to a hockey goalkeeper's leg. To efficiently protect the hockey goalkeeper's leg, the protective padding and/or the outer shell may be bulky (e.g., thick), heavy, or rigid and/or may absorb too much impact energy from impacts with flying pucks or balls such that these projectiles' rebound speed is relatively low, which may detrimentally affect performance of the hockey goalkeeper by limiting an agility of the hockey goalkeeper and/or by limiting the hockey goalkeeper's control of rebounds when blocking the pucks or balls from entering into the goal. Moreover, material of the outer shell tends to crush after receiving multiple impacts (e.g., with flying pucks or balls) in a same area.

The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad is typically connected to footwear (e.g., a skate) of the hockey goalkeeper to limit movements between the hockey goalkeeper's leg and the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad. Connectors connecting the hockey goalkeeper's leg and the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad may be heavy, bulky, and/or weak and/or take long to adjust.

Similar considerations may sometimes arise with other goalie protective gear, such as blockers to protect goalies' hands when blocking pucks or balls during play.

For these and other reasons, improvements in hockey-goalkeeper pads would be welcomed.

SUMMARY

According to various aspects, this disclosure relates to hockey-goalkeeper pads wearable on body parts (e.g., legs) of a hockey goalkeeper to protect these body parts against impacts from a projectile (i.e., puck or ball) while playing hockey, in which the hockey-goalkeeper pads may be configured to enhance performance, use, and/or other aspects of goalkeeping by the hockey goalkeeper, such as by being more durable (e.g., reducing crushing of padding material), improving rebounding of the projectile (e.g., increasing a rebound speed of the projectile and/or a coefficient of restitution), and/or facilitating their donning and securing by the hockey goalkeeper (e.g., connecting to skates).

For example, according to one aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The main pad member comprises: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; an inner liner for facing the leg; and protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member; and a material of a first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from a material of a second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The main pad member comprises: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; an inner liner for facing the leg; and protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member; a material of a first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from a material of a second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements; a material of a third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements; and the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is disposed between the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The main pad member comprises: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; an inner liner for facing the leg; and protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured to generate a springboard effect when a puck or ball impacts the main pad member.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The main pad member comprises: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; an inner liner for facing the leg; and protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured such that a ratio of a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding at a first-ever impact of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding over the coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h is at least 0.80.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; an inner liner for facing the leg; and protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, wherein a ratio of a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding at a first-ever impact of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding over the coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h is at least 0.80.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The main pad member comprises: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; an inner liner for facing the leg; and protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured such that a ratio of a thickness of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h over the thickness of the protective padding before any impact of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding is at least 0.90.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The main pad member comprises: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; an inner liner for facing the leg; and protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, wherein a ratio of a thickness of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h over the thickness of the protective padding before any impact of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding is at least 0.90.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The main pad member comprises: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; an inner liner for facing the leg; and protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured such that a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding when impacted by a puck or ball with an inbound speed of 80 km/h is at least 0.35.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The main pad member comprises: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; an inner liner for facing the leg; and protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, wherein a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding when impacted by a puck or ball with an inbound speed of 80 km/h is at least 0.35.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprises: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member; and a material of a first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from a material of a second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad is configured to be wider than the leg and comprises an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg, the hockey goalkeeper wearing a skate. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a connector disposed in the foot portion and connectable to a connector mounted to the skate for attaching the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad to the skate without passing a lace through the skate every time the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad is to be attached to the skate.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad is configured to be wider than the leg and comprises an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg, the hockey goalkeeper wearing a skate. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprises a connector disposed in the foot portion and is connectable to a connector mounted to the skate for attaching the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad to the skate solely by moving the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad and the skate closer to one another.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad is configured to be wider than the leg and comprises an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg, the hockey goalkeeper wearing a skate. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprising a connector disposed in the foot portion and magnetically connectable to a connector mounted to the skate for attaching the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad to the skate.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a quick-connect system for attaching a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to a skate wearable by the hockey goalkeeper. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad is configured to protect and be wider than the leg and comprises an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The quick-connect system comprises: a connector mountable to the foot portion of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; and a connector mountable to the skate. The connector of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad and the connector of the skate are connectable to one another for attaching the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad to the skate without passing a lace through the skate every time the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad is to be attached to the skate.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a quick-connect system for attaching a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to a skate wearable by the hockey goalkeeper. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad is configured to protect and be wider than the leg and comprises an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The quick-connect system comprises: a connector mountable to the foot portion of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; and a connector mountable to the skate. The connector of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad and the connector of the skate are connectable to one another for attaching the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad to the skate solely by moving the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad and the skate closer to one another.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a quick-connect system for attaching a hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to a skate wearable by the hockey goalkeeper. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad is configured to protect and be wider than the leg and comprises an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg. The quick-connect system comprises: a connector mountable to the foot portion of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; and a connector mountable to the skate. The connector of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad and the connector of the skate are magnetically connectable to one another for attaching the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad to the skate.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member; a material of a first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from a material of a second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements; a material of a third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements; and the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is disposed between the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover, the protective comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured to generate a springboard effect when a puck or ball impacts the main pad member.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover, the protective comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured such that a ratio of a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding at a first-ever impact of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding over the coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h is at least 0.80.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover. A ratio of a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of the puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h over the coefficient of restitution of the protective padding at a first-ever impact of a puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding is at least 0.80.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured such that a ratio of a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h over the coefficient of restitution of the protective padding at a first-ever impact of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding is at least 0.80.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover. A ratio of a thickness of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h over the thickness of the protective padding before any impact of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding is at least 0.90.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured such that a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of 80 km/h is at least 0.35.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured such that a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of 144 km/h is at least 0.25.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover. A coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of 80 km/h is at least 0.35.

According to another aspect, this disclosure relates to a hockey-goalkeeper blocker wearable on a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the hand. The hockey-goalkeeper blocker comprises a main pad member configured to be wider than the hand. The main pad member comprising: an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper blocker; and protective padding disposed beneath the outer cover. A coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of 144 km/h is at least 0.25.

These and other aspects of this disclosure will now become apparent upon review of a description of embodiments that follows in conjunction with accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A detailed description of embodiments is provided below, by way of example only, with reference to accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of an embodiment of hockey-goalkeeper leg pads for protecting legs of a hockey goalkeeper;

FIG. 2 shows a front view of a left one of the leg pads;

FIG. 3 shows a lateral view of the leg pad;

FIG. 4 shows a medial view of the leg pad;

FIG. 5 shows the leg pad from an inner side;

FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of a right one of the leg pads which comprises a main pad member including an outer cover, protective padding and an inner liner;

FIGS. 7 to 11 show the outer cover;

FIG. 12 shows molded ornaments of the outer cover;

FIG. 13 shows the protective padding;

FIG. 14 shows a molded material of the outer cover;

FIGS. 15 and 16 show a variant of the outer cover;

FIG. 17 shows a hockey puck having an initial speed and an initial direction rebounding on the left leg pad with a rebound speed and a rebound direction;

FIG. 18 shows an inside perspective view of a padding element of the protective padding;

FIG. 19 shows a cross-sectional view of the padding element of the protective padding;

FIGS. 20 and 21 show a variant of an interconnection between the outer shell and an inner liner of the leg pad;

FIG. 22 shows the padding element of the protective padding in relation with the outer shell;

FIGS. 23 to 26 show an example of a lacing arrangement between at least the padding element of the protective padding and at least part of the outer shell;

FIGS. 27 to 31 show a quick-connect system to connect the leg pad to a goalie skate;

FIGS. 32 and 33 show variants of the goalie skate comprising an integrated connector to connect the goalie skate to the leg pad;

FIGS. 34 to 36 show variants of the leg pad;

FIGS. 37 to 39 show an embodiment of a hockey goalkeeper blocker; and

FIGS. 40 and 41 show a leg of the hockey goalkeeper.

The description and drawings are only for purposes of illustrating certain embodiments and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of hockey-goalkeeper pads 10 wearable on a hockey goalkeeper's body parts while playing hockey to protect these body parts against an impact from a projectile (i.e., a puck or ball), hockey stick or other object, such as to block the projectile from entering a goal, and/or to protect these body parts when moving them onto a playing surface 12. More specifically, in this embodiment, the hockey-goalkeeper pads 10 are hockey-goalkeeper leg pads 10 wearable on the hockey goalkeeper's legs 16 while playing hockey to protect the legs 16. The hockey goalkeeper may be referred to as a “goalie” and thus the hockey-goalkeeper leg pads 10 may be referred to as “goalie leg pads”, “goalie pads”, or just “leg pads” of the goalie. In this embodiment, a type of hockey played is ice hockey such that the leg pads 10 are ice hockey leg pads, the goalie is an ice hockey goalie, the playing surface 12 is ice, and the projectile is a puck.

As further discussed later, in this embodiment, the leg pads 10 may be configured to enhance performance, use, and/or other aspects of goalkeeping by the goalie, such as by being more durable (e.g., reducing crushing of padding material), improving rebounding of the puck (e.g., increasing a rebound speed of the puck and/or a coefficient of restitution), and/or facilitating their donning and securing by the goalie (e.g., connecting to skates).

The leg pads 10 protect various regions of the goalie's legs 16. With additional reference to FIGS. 40 and 41, each leg 16 of the goalie comprises an upper leg region 18, a knee 19, a lower leg region 20, and a foot 21. The upper leg region 18 is above the knee 19, while the lower leg region 20 is below the knee 19 and above the foot 21. The leg 16 of the goalie has a front 22, a back 23, a medial side 24 (sometimes referred to as an “inner side”), and a lateral side 25 (sometimes referred to as an “outer side”).

Each leg pad 10 comprises an upper leg portion 30, a knee portion 31, a lower leg portion 32, and a foot portion 33 respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to the upper leg region 18, the knee 19, the lower leg region 20, and the foot 21 of the goalie's leg 16 when the leg pad 10 is worn on the leg 16. The upper leg portion 30 is above the knee portion 31, while the lower leg portion 32 is below the knee portion 31 and above the foot portion 33. Respective ones of these portions of the leg pad 10 comprise frontal, medial, and lateral parts such that the leg pad 10 comprises a frontal portion 26, a medial portion 27, and a lateral portion 28 respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to the front 22, the medial side 24, and the lateral side 25 of the goalie's leg 16 when the leg pad 10 is worn on the leg 16. The frontal portion 26 comprises a front of the leg pad 10, the medial portion 27 comprises a medial side of the leg pad 10, and the lateral portion 28 comprises a lateral side of the leg pad 10. A longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the goalie's leg 16, a lateral (i.e., widthwise) direction of the leg pad 10 is perpendicular to its longitudinal direction and substantially parallel to a dextrosinistral axis of the goalie's leg 16, and a front-back direction of the leg pad 10 is perpendicular to its longitudinal direction and substantially parallel to a dorsoventral axis of the goalie's leg 16.

In this embodiment, each leg pad 10 comprises a plurality of pad members 34. More specifically, in this example, the pad members 34 include a main pad member 36, a medial-side knee pad member 37 (sometimes referred-to as “medial knee wing”), a medial-side calf member 49 (sometimes referred-to as “medial calf wing”), a lateral-side knee pad member 39 (sometimes referred-to as “lateral knee wing”) and a lateral-side calf pad member 61 (sometimes referred-to as “lateral calf wing”).

In this embodiment, the main pad member 36 is configured to be wider than the goalie's leg and comprises an upper leg portion 48 ₁, a knee portion 48 ₂, a lower leg portion 48 ₃ and a foot portion 48 ₄ constituting respective parts of the upper leg portion 30, the knee portion 31, the lower leg portion 32, and the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10. In this example, the main pad member 36 is a common continuous pad that extends from the upper leg portion 30 to the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10. The main pad member 36 may cover a substantial proportion of the leg pad 10. In particular, in this embodiment, the main pad member 36 covers at least a majority (i.e. a majority or an entirety) of the frontal portion 26 of the hockey goalkeeper leg pad 10. More specifically, in this embodiment, the main pad member 36 covers an entirety of the frontal portion 26 of the hockey goalkeeper leg pad 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a ratio of a surface area of the main pad member 36 over a total surface area of the leg pad 10 is at least 65%, in some embodiments at least 70%, in some embodiments at least 75%, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., more than 80%).

The main pad member 36 may have any suitable width. In this embodiment, the main pad member 36 has a width that is constant along at least a majority of (i.e., a majority of or an entirety of) its length. In some embodiments, the width of the main pad member 36 may be substantially larger than the leg it is configured to cover, and may be between 18 cm and 38 cm, in some embodiments between 23 cm and 33 cm, and in some embodiments about 28 cm. In this case, the width of the main pad member 36 corresponds to an overall width WP of the leg pad 10.

In this embodiment, the medial knee wing 37 is a pad member disposed on the medial side of the main pad member 36 and is configured to protect the knee of the hockey goalkeeper from contact with the ice when the hockey goalkeeper gets into a butterfly position. More specifically, in this embodiment, the knee portion 31 of the leg pad 10 comprises a medial part 41 including the medial knee wing 37 which comprises a knee landing portion 43 configured to engage the goalie's knee 19 when dropping to the ice 12 (e.g., in a butterfly position).

In this embodiment, the medial calf wing 49 is a pad member disposed on the medial side of the main pad member 36 and is configured to protect the calf of the hockey goalkeeper from contact with the ice when the hockey goalkeeper gets into a butterfly position. More specifically, in this embodiment, the lower leg portion 32 comprises a medial part 46 including the medial calf wing 49 which comprises a calf landing portion 63 to engage the goalie's lower leg 20 when dropping to the ice 12 (e.g., in a butterfly position).

In this embodiment, the lateral knee wing 39 and the lateral calf wing 61 are pad members disposed on the lateral side of the main pad member 36 and are configured to respectively protect the knee and the calf of the hockey goalkeeper from contact with the puck and/or the ice during play. More specifically, in this embodiment, the knee portion 31 of the leg pad 10 comprises a lateral part 47 including the lateral knee wing 39 which projects rearwardly from the main pad member 36, and the lower leg portion 32 of the leg pad 10 comprises a lateral part 48 including the lateral calf wing 61 which projects rearwardly from the main pad member 36.

In this embodiment, the medial knee wing 37 and the lateral knee wing 39 define a knee cradle to receive the goalie's knee 19, and the medial calf wing 49 and the lateral calf wing 61 are configured for receiving the goalie's lower leg 20. The medial knee wing 37, the lateral knee wing 39, the medial calf wing 49 and the lateral calf wing 61 may thus define a leg-receiving portion 35 configured for receiving the leg of the hockey goalkeeper.

In some embodiments, a ratio of the width WP of the leg pad 10 over a width WL of the leg-receiving portion 35 of the leg pad 10 is at least 1.5, in some embodiments at least 2, in some embodiments at least 2.5, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 2.8).

The leg pad 10 can be secured to the goalie's leg 16 in any suitable way. In this embodiment, the leg pad 10 comprises straps 94 to secure it to the goalie's leg 16. The leg pad 10 may also comprise an attachment mechanism 90 configured to attach the leg pad 10 to a hockey-goalkeeper skate 11.

In this embodiment, the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 comprises an outer cover 42, an inner liner 44, and protective padding 40 disposed between the outer cover 42 and the inner liner 44. In this example, an inner surface of the outer cover 42 may engage an outer surface of the protective padding 40 and an outer surface of the inner liner 44 may engage an inner surface of the protective padding 40. More specifically, in this embodiment, the inner surface of the outer cover 42 may be affixed to the outer surface of the protective padding 40 and the outer surface of the inner liner 44 may be affixed to the inner surface of the protective padding 40.

The outer cover 42 comprises an outer surface 51 of the leg pad 10 that faces away from the goalkeeper's leg 16. With additional reference to FIGS. 7 to 11, in this embodiment, the outer cover 42 comprises an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion which constitute respective parts of the upper leg portion 30, the knee portion 31, the lower leg portion 32, and the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10. Each of these portions of the outer cover 42 comprises a frontal part, a medial part, and a lateral part such that the outer cover 42 comprises a frontal portion 56, a medial portion 57, and a lateral portion 58 which constitute respective parts of the frontal portion 26, the medial portion 27, and the lateral portion 28 of the leg pad 10.

In this embodiment, the outer cover 42 is a molded outer cover. That is, the outer cover 42 is formed by a molding process. A shape of the outer cover 42 is thus a molded shape imparted during the molding process. The outer cover 42 comprises molded material 70 that constitutes at least a majority (i.e., a majority or an entirety) of the outer cover 42 and has been formed during the molding process to impart the shape of the outer cover 42. More particularly, in this embodiment, the upper leg portion, the knee portion, the lower leg portion, and the foot portion of the outer cover 42 comprise respective parts of the molded material 70 which have been configured by the molding process. Also, in this example of implementation, the outer cover 42 includes molded features for functional and/or aesthetic purposes, as further discussed later.

The molded shape of the outer cover 42 may have any suitable configuration. In this embodiment, the outer cover 42 has a molded bent configuration such that it bends in a longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10. More particularly, in this embodiment, the outer cover 42 includes a bend 60 in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 between the upper leg portion and the lower leg portion adjacent to the knee portion, and a bend 61 in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 between the lower leg portion and the foot portion. In this example, the bend 60 is a curved part which defines a curvature of the outer cover 42, while the bend 61 is an angular part which defines an oblique angle. Also, in this embodiment, the molded bent configuration of the outer cover 42 is such that the outer cover 42 bends in a widthwise direction of the leg pad 10. More particularly, in this embodiment, the outer cover 42 includes a bend 68 in the widthwise direction of the leg pad 10 between the frontal portion 56 and the medial portion 57 of the outer cover 42, and a bend 69 in the widthwise direction of the leg pad 10 between the frontal portion 56 and the lateral portion 58 of the outer cover 42. The molded bent configuration of the outer cover 42 may be arranged in any other suitable way in other embodiments (e.g., include any number of bends, curved or angular, disposed in any suitable manner).

The outer cover 42 may comprise a cavity 62 receiving and holding the protective padding 40. The cavity 62 lies opposite the outer surface 51 of the leg pad 10 such that it faces the goalkeeper's leg 16. More particularly, in this embodiment, the medial portion 57 and the lateral portion 58 of the outer cover 42 project rearwardly relative to the frontal portion 56 of the outer cover 42 to define the cavity 62. In this example, the outer cover 42 also comprises a top portion 63 and a bottom portion 64 which project rearwardly relative to the frontal portion 56 to define the cavity 62.

Once the protective padding 40 is placed in the cavity 62 of the outer cover 42, in this embodiment, the inner liner 44 is placed behind the protective padding 40 and secured into position. To that end, in this embodiment, the outer cover 42 comprises a fastening zone 65 to fasten the outer cover 42 to at least one of the inner liner 44 and the protective padding 40. In this example, the fastening zone 65 is provided to fasten the outer cover 42 to both the inner liner 44 and the padding 40. More particularly, in this embodiment, the fastening zone 65 comprises a fastening lip 66 in at least one, in this case each, of the medial portion 57, the lateral portion 58, the top portion 63, and the bottom portion 64 of the outer cover 42. A fastener 67 interacts with the fastening lip 66 of the outer cover 42 and the inner liner 44 to secure the inner liner 44, the protective padding 40, and the outer cover 42 together. In this example, the fastener 67 is a series of stitches that stitch together the inner liner 44, the protective padding 40, and the outer cover 42. The fastener 67 may be any other suitable fastener in other examples (e.g., an adhesive, a series of staples, etc.). The fastening zone 65 may be implemented in any other suitable way in other embodiments. In addition to being retained between the outer cover 42 and the inner liner 44, in this embodiment, the protective padding 40 is also laced to the outer cover 42 and/or the inner liner 40 by a lacing arrangement 14 including laces 15 ₁-15 _(L).

In this embodiment, the molded material 70 of the outer cover 42 comprises molded foam. This provides shock absorbability to the outer cover 42 which may help in protecting the goalkeeper's leg 16. More particularly, in this embodiment, the molded foam 70 is ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam. Any other suitable foam may be used in other embodiments (e.g., polyethylene foam (e.g., low-density polyethylene foam), polyurethane foam, polypropylene foam, etc.).

In some examples of implementation, the molded foam of the molded material 70 may include a single type of foam. In other examples of implementation, the molded foam of the molded material 70 may include two or more different types of foam, such as foams having different densities and/or different material compositions (e.g., an outer layer of foam that is denser than an inner layer of foam; a layer of EVA foam and another layer of polyurethane foam; etc.).

The molded material 70 may comprise any suitable material other than foam in other embodiments (e.g., polymeric material such as thermoplastic polyurethane or any other elastomeric material, a gel, etc.). For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 14, the molded foam of the molded material 70 be a foam layer 83 and the molded material 70 may comprise a non-foam layer 88 over the foam layer 83. The non-foam layer 88 may be at least partly (i.e., partly, majorly or entirely) affixed to the foam layer 83 by being molded with the foam layer 83 and/or using a fastener (e.g., stitching, adhesive, etc.). For instance, in some examples of implementation, the non-foam layer 88 may be thinner than the foam layer 83 and/or may have a greater resistance to wear and/or a greater resistance to rupture (i.e., to cutting or tearing) than the foam layer 83. For example, in some cases, the non-foam layer 88 may be a polyurethane layer or a layer of any other non-foam polymeric material. In this example of implementation, the non-foam layer 88 forms a skin disposed on the foam layer 83 and constituting at least part of the outer surface 51 of the leg pad 10. For instance, the skin 88 may constitute at least a majority (i.e., a majority or an entirety) of the outer surface 51 of the leg pad 10. In some cases, the skin 88 may be pre-laminated onto the foam layer 83, which may initially be provided as a foam sheet, before molding this foam sheet and this pre-laminated skin together as a unit.

A thickness T of the molded material 70 of the outer cover 42 may have any suitable value. For example, in some embodiments, the thickness T of the molded material 70 may be at least 4 mm, in some cases at least 5 mm, in some cases at least 6 mm, in some cases at least 7 mm, in some cases at least 8 mm, and in some cases even more (e.g., 10 mm or more). The thickness T of the molded material 70 may have any other suitable value in other embodiments. In some examples, the thickness T of the molded material 70 may be substantially constant over the outer cover 42. In other examples, the thickness T of the molded material 70 may vary such that it has different values in different regions of the outer cover 42.

The molding process of the outer cover 42 may employ any suitable molding method. In this embodiment, the molding process is compression molding such that the outer cover 42 is a compression molded outer cover. An amount of material which is to become the molded material 70 of the outer cover 42 is introduced into a mold that is initially open and then shaped into the outer cover 42 by heat and by pressure created as the mold is closed and the material is forced into contact with all mold areas. A deflashing (i.e., flash removal) operation may be performed to remove any excess material from the molding operation. The outer cover 42 may be molded using any other suitable molding method in other embodiments (e.g., injection molding, thermoforming, etc.).

The outer cover 42 may comprise various other aspects, including aspects that are described in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2014/0259261 and 2015/0033433, which are both incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In other embodiments, the outer cover 42 may be implemented in any other suitable way. For example, in some embodiments, the outer cover 42 may comprise synthetic pliable material (e.g., synthetic leather) cut into pieces and assembled (e.g., sewn) into the outer cover (e.g., without any molded material).

The protective padding 40 of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 provides padded protection to the goalkeeper's leg 16. Notably, the protective padding 40, which may sometimes be referred to as a “core” or “insert” padding of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10, is configured to be wider than the goalie's leg and provides a majority of a shock absorbency of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10. For example, in some embodiments, the protective padding 40 provides at least 70%, in some cases at least 80%, in some cases at least 90%, and in some cases even more of the shock absorbency of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10. Also, the protective padding 40 occupies a majority of a thickness of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10. For instance, in some embodiments, the protective padding 40 may occupy at least 70%, in some cases at least 80%, in some cases at least 90%, and in some cases even more of the thickness of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10.

In this embodiment, the protective padding 40 of the main pad member 36 comprises a plurality of padding elements 50, 52, 54 that are distinct (e.g., have different material compositions) and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member 36.

In this example, the padding element 50 is a front padding element, the padding element 52 is an intermediate padding element, and the padding element 54 is a rear padding element. The front padding element 50, which may sometimes be referred to as a “front board”, may be stiffer and/or more rigid than the intermediate padding element 52 and the rear padding element 54 (e.g., to impart a shape to the protective padding 40), while the intermediate padding element 52 may be thicker than the front padding element 50 and the rear padding element 52.

More specifically, in this embodiment, an average thickness of the intermediate padding element 52 may be greater than an average thickness of the front padding element 50 and than an average thickness of the rear padding element 54. In some embodiments, the average thickness of the intermediate padding element 52 may be greater than the sum of the average thicknesses of the front padding element 50 and rear padding element 54. Also, in this embodiment, each of the front and rear padding elements 50, 54, have a substantially constant thickness, while the intermediate padding element has a varying thickness. In other embodiments, the front padding element 50 and/or the rear padding element 54 may have a varying thickness and/or the intermediate padding element 52 may have a constant thickness.

In this embodiment, the padding elements 50, 52, 54 cover at least a majority of the main pad member 36. More specifically, the front padding element 50, the intermediate padding element 52 and the rear padding element 54 may cover an entirety of the main pad member 36. In this embodiment, the front padding element 50 may cover at least a majority of the intermediate padding element 52. More specifically, the front padding element 50 may cover an entirety of the intermediate padding element 52. In a similar fashion, the rear padding element 54 may span over at least a majority of the intermediate padding element 52, and more specifically, in this embodiment, the rear padding element 54 spans at least an entirety of (i.e. an entirety of or larger than) the intermediate padding element 52.

In this embodiment, the front padding element 50 is a multilayer padding element as further discussed below, the intermediate padding element 52 comprises foam (e.g., a polyethylene foam such as a low-density polyethylene foam), and the rear padding element 54 comprises another foam (e.g., a polyethylene foam such as a high-density polyethylene foam) different from that of the intermediate padding element 52. Any suitable foam or other shock-absorbing materials may be used for the intermediate padding element 52 and the rear padding element 54.

In this embodiment, the protective padding 40 is configured to enhance rebounding of the puck when the puck impacts the leg pad 10. For example, the protective padding 40 may be configured to allow the rebound speed of the puck to be higher than traditional padding, notably when the inbound speed of the puck is relatively low, and/or to reduce (i.e., minimize or prevent) crushing thereof thus maintaining rebound effects after multiple co-located puck impacts and/or improve puck rebounds (e.g., allow faster and further puck rebounds).

In particular, in this embodiment, a coefficient of restitution (COR) of the main pad member 36, a COR of the protective padding 40 and/or a COR of the front padding element 50 may be enhanced.

In this embodiment, the COR of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 is enhanced. The COR of the main pad member 36 refers to a ratio of a speed of the puck relative to the main pad member 36 as the puck rebounds from the main pad member 36 after impacting the main pad member 36, i.e., a rebound speed of the puck, over a speed of the puck relative to the main pad member 36 as the puck is inbound before impacting the main pad member 36, i.e., an inbound speed of the puck.

The COR of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 may be measured in any suitable way. For instance, in some embodiments, a test may be performed by fixing the main pad member 36 alone (i.e., without any other component of the leg pad 10) in a specified position, shooting the puck so that it impacts a specified location of the main pad member 36 at a specified angle α relative to a front surface of the main pad member 36 and at an inbound speed that is known, and measuring a rebound speed of the puck after impact. For instance, in this embodiment, the COR may be measured with a specified angle α of about 90°.

For example, in some embodiments, the main pad member 36 may be configured to maintain the COR of the main pad member 36 above a threshold after multiple co-located puck impacts. For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the COR of the main pad member 36 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the main pad member 36 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 80 km/h over the COR of the main pad member 36 at a first-ever impact of the puck at the specified location of the main pad member 36 may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1. In some embodiments, a ratio of the COR of the main pad member 36 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the main pad member 36 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 144 km/h over the COR of the main pad member 36 at a first-ever impact of the puck at the specified location of the main pad member 36 may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1.

In this embodiment, the main pad member 36 of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 may reduce or avoid crushing after multiple impact with the puck, e.g., to help maintain the COR of the main pad member 36 above a threshold. For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the thickness of the main pad member 36 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the main pad member 36 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 144 km/h over the thickness of the main pad member 36 at a first-ever impact of the puck at a specified location of the main pad member 36 may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1.

In this embodiment, the COR of the main pad member 36 when impacted by the puck having an initial speed of 80 km/h after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the main pad member 36 may be at least 0.35, in some embodiments at least 0.40, in some embodiments at least 0.45, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 0.50). In this embodiment, the COR of the main pad member 36 when impacted by the puck having an initial speed of 144 km/h after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the main pad member 36 may be at least 0.25, in some embodiments at least 0.30, in some embodiments at least 0.35, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 0.40).

In order to achieve such enhanced rebounding characteristics, in this embodiment, the COR of the protective padding 40 of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 is enhanced. The COR of the protective padding 40 refers to a ratio of a speed of the puck relative to the protective padding 40 as the puck rebounds from the protective padding 40 after impacting the protective padding 40, i.e., a rebound speed of the puck, over a speed of the puck relative to the protective padding 40 as the puck is inbound before impacting the protective padding 40, i.e., an inbound speed of the puck.

The COR of the protective padding 40 of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 may be measured in any suitable way. For instance, in some embodiments, a test may be performed by fixing the protective padding 40 alone (i.e., without any other component of the leg pad 10) in a specified position, shooting the puck so that it impacts a specified location of the protective padding 40 at a specified angle α relative to a front surface 59 of the protective padding 40 and at an inbound speed that is known, and measuring a rebound speed of the puck after impact. For instance, in this embodiment, the COR may be measured with a specified angle α of about 90°.

For example, in some embodiments, the protective padding 40 may be configured to maintain the COR of the protective padding 40 above a threshold after multiple co-located puck impacts. For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the COR of the protective padding 40 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the protective padding 40 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 80 km/h over the COR of the protective padding 40 at a first-ever impact of the puck at the specified location of the protective padding 40 may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1. In some embodiments, a ratio of the COR of the protective padding 40 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the protective padding 40 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 144 km/h over the COR of the protective padding 40 at a first-ever impact of the puck at the specified location of the protective padding 40 may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1.

In this embodiment, the protective padding 40 of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 may reduce or avoid crushing after multiple impact with the puck, e.g., to help maintain the COR of the protective padding 40 above a threshold. For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the thickness of the protective padding 40 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the protective padding 40 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 144 km/h over the thickness of the protective padding 40 at a first-ever impact of the puck at a specified location of the protective padding 40 may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1.

In this embodiment, the COR of the protective padding 40 when impacted by the puck having an initial speed of 80 km/h after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the protective padding 40 may be at least 0.35, in some embodiments at least 0.40, in some embodiments at least 0.45, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 0.50). In this embodiment, the COR of the protective padding 40 when impacted by the puck having an initial speed of 144 km/h after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the protective padding 40 may be at least 0.25, in some embodiments at least 0.30, in some embodiments at least 0.35, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 0.40).

In order to achieve such enhanced rebounding characteristics, in this embodiment, the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 is configured to enhance rebounding of the puck when the puck impacts the leg pad 10.

For instance, in some embodiments, a COR of the front padding element 50 of may be enhanced. The COR of the front padding element 50 refers to a ratio of a speed of the puck relative to the front padding element 50 as the puck rebounds from the front padding element 50 after impacting the front padding element 50, i.e., a rebound speed of the puck, over a speed of the puck relative to the front padding element 50 as the puck is inbound before impacting the front padding element 50, i.e., an inbound speed of the puck.

The COR of the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 may be measured in any suitable way. For instance, in some embodiments, a test may be performed by fixing the front padding element 50 alone (i.e., without any other part of the protective padding 40 and any other component of the leg pad 10) in a specified position, shooting the puck so that it impacts a specified location of the front padding element 50 at a specified angle α relative to a front surface 81 of front padding element 50 and at an inbound speed that is known, and measuring a rebound speed of the puck after impact. For instance, in this embodiment, the COR may be measured with a specified angle α of about 90°.

For example, in some embodiments, the front padding element 50 may be configured to maintain the COR of the front padding element 50 above a threshold after multiple co-located puck impacts. For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the COR of the front padding element 50 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the front padding element 50 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 80 km/h over the COR of the front padding element 50 at a first-ever impact of the puck at the specified location of the front padding element 50 with the inbound speed of the puck of at least 80 km/h may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1. In some embodiments, a ratio of the COR of the front padding element 50 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the front padding element 50 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 144 km/h over the COR of the front padding element 50 at a first-ever impact of the puck at the specified location of the front padding element 50 with the inbound speed of the puck of at least 80 km/h may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1.

In this embodiment, the front padding element 50 may reduce or avoid crushing after multiple impact with the puck, e.g., to help maintain the COR of the front padding element 50 above a threshold. For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of the thickness of the front padding element 50 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the front padding element 50 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 80 km/h over the thickness of the front padding element 50 before any impact of the puck at the specified location of the front padding element 50 may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1. In some embodiments, a ratio of the thickness of the front padding element 50 after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the front padding element 50 with an inbound speed of the puck of at least 144 km/h over the thickness of the front padding element 50 before any impact of the puck at the specified location of the front padding element 50 may be at least 0.8, in some cases at least 0.85, in some cases at least 0.9, in some cases at least 0.95, in some cases at least 0.99, and in some cases about 1.

In this embodiment, the COR of the front padding element 50 when impacted by the puck having an initial speed of 80 km/h after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the front padding element 50 may be at least 0.35, in some embodiments at least 0.40, in some embodiments at least 0.45, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 0.50). In this embodiment, the COR of the front padding element 50 when impacted by the puck having an initial speed of 144 km/h after at least ten impacts of the puck at a specified location of the front padding element 50 may be at least 0.25, in some embodiments at least 0.30, in some embodiments at least 0.35, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 0.40).

In this embodiment, the padding element 50 of the main pad member 36 may be configured to increase a puck rebound speed while keeping the leg pad 10 relatively lightweight. For instance, in some embodiments, a ratio of a weight of the leg pad 10 over a height of the leg pad 10 is no more than 0.1 kg/cm, in some embodiments no more than 0.05 kg/cm, in some embodiments no more than 0.02 kg/cm, and in some embodiments even less. In some embodiments, a weight of the leg pad 10 is no more than 4 kg, in some embodiments no more than 3 kg, in some embodiments no more than 2 kg, and in some embodiments even less.

With additional reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, in this embodiment, the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 of the main pad member 36 of the leg pad 10 comprises a plurality of layers 72, 74, 76 that include different materials 84, 85, 86 and are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the leg pad 10. This is contrast to a front padding element of traditional protective padding that may be made of a single material. The layer 72 may be an outer layer of the protective padding 40 and may be distal relative to the layers 74, 76. The layer 76 may be an inner layer of the protective padding 40 and may be proximal relative to the layers 72, 74. The layer 74 may be an intermediate layer that is disposed between the outer and inner layers 72, 76.

More particularly, in this embodiment, the layers 72, 74, 76 including the different materials 84, 85, 86 of the front padding element 50 are configured to generate a springboard or trampoline effect when the puck impacts the leg pad 10 to increase the rebound speed of the puck. When the puck impacts the leg pad 10, a given one of the layers 72, 74, 76 of the front padding element 50 is compressed by and relative to one or more other ones of the layers 72, 74, 76 of the front padding element 50 and, as it urges to expand, it releases energy stored during its compression back to the puck.

In this embodiment, the layers 72, 74, 76 cover at least a majority of the main pad member 36. More specifically, the outer layer 72, the intermediate layer 74 and the inner layer 76 may cover an entirety of the main pad member 36. In this embodiment, the outer layer 72 may cover at least a majority of the intermediate layer 74. More specifically, the outer layer 72 may cover an entirety of the intermediate layer 74. In a similar fashion, the inner layer 76 may span over at least a majority of the intermediate layer 74, and more specifically, in this embodiment, the inner layer 76 spans at least an entirety of (i.e. an entirety of or larger than) the intermediate layer 74.

The layers 72, 74, 76 may have any suitable thickness. For instance, in some embodiments: the outer layer 72 has a thickness of at least 3.0 mm, in some embodiments of at least 3.5 mm, in some embodiments of at least 4.0 mm and in some embodiments of even more; the intermediate layer 74 has a thickness of at least 6.0 mm, in some embodiments of at least 7.0 mm, in some embodiments of at least 8.0 mm and in some embodiments of even more; and the inner layer 76 has a thickness of at least 3.0 mm, in some embodiments of at least 3.5 mm, in some embodiments of at least 4.0 mm and in some embodiments of even more.

In this embodiment, a thickness of the layers 72, 74, 76 in the thickness direction of the padding element 50 is substantially the same. In other embodiments, the thickness of the layers 72, 74, 76 may be different. For example, in some embodiments, the thickness of the inner and outer layers 72, 76 may be substantially the same which the thickness of the intermediate layer 74 may be different and greater than the thickness of the inner and outer layers 72, 76 of the padding element 50. In some embodiments, the thickness of the inner layer 76 of the padding element 50 is different from the thickness of the intermediate and outer layers 74, 72 of the padding element and the thicknesses of the intermediate and outer layers 74, 72 are also different from each other.

In this embodiment, the thickness of each of the layers 72, 74, 76 of the padding element 50 is substantially constant. In some embodiments, the thickness of at least some of the layers 72, 74, 76 may vary. For instance, in some embodiments, the thickness of the intermediate layer 74 may vary and may be greater around a lower leg region than at other regions, while the thickness of the inner and outer layers 72, 76 may be substantially constant. In other embodiments, the thickness of each of the layers 72, 74, 76 of the padding element 50 may vary.

The layers 72, 74, 76 may have various mechanical properties allowing the protective padding 40 to increase a puck rebound speed while protecting the leg of the hockey goalkeeper and be relatively light and thin. In particular, in this embodiment, the layers 72, 74, 76 of the protective padding 40 are configured to create a springboard effect. Specifically, the outer and inner layers 72, 76 may be harder and/or stiffer than the intermediate layer 74. In this embodiment, the outer and inner layers 72, 76 are equally hard and stiff.

In particular, in this embodiment, the outer layer 72 comprises an outer layer material 84, the inner layer 76 comprises an inner layer material 86, and the intermediate layer 74 comprises an intermediate layer material 85. The outer layer material 84 and the inner layer material 86 may both have densities, moduli of elasticity and/or hardness that are greater than a density, modulus of elasticity and/or hardness of the intermediate layer material 85.

For instance, in some embodiments, each of (i) a ratio of a density of the outer layer material 84 over a density of the intermediate layer material 85 and (ii) a ratio of a density of the inner layer material 86 over the density of the intermediate layer material 85 is at least 1.1, in some embodiments at least 1.3, in some embodiments at least 1.5, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 1.67). In a similar fashion, in some embodiments, each of (i) a ratio of a modulus of elasticity of the outer layer material 84 over a modulus of elasticity of the intermediate layer material 85 and (ii) a ratio of a modulus of elasticity of the inner layer material 86 over the modulus of elasticity of the intermediate layer material 85 is at least 1.1, in some embodiments at least 1.3, in some embodiments at least 1.5, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 1.67). In a similar fashion, in some embodiments, each of (i) a ratio of a hardness of elasticity of the outer layer material 84 over a hardness of the intermediate layer material 85 and (ii) a ratio of a hardness of the inner layer material 86 over the hardness of the intermediate layer material 85 is at least 1.1, in some embodiments at least 1.3, in some embodiments at least 1.5, and in some embodiments even more (e.g., at least 1.67).

In particular, in this embodiment, each of the outer layer material 84, the intermediate layer material 85 and the inner layer material 86 may comprise foam. More specifically, in this embodiment, the outer layer material 84, the intermediate layer material 85 and the inner layer material 86 comprise a same type of foam, more specifically a polypropylene foam. For instance, in this embodiment, each the outer layer material 84, the intermediate layer material 85 and the inner layer material 86 may be constituted of polypropylene foam. More particularly, in this example, the outer layer material 84 and the inner layer material 86 are one or more type of polypropylene foam (e.g., high-density polypropylene foam) and the intermediate layer material 85 is a different type of polypropylene foam (e.g., low-density polypropylene foam). In other embodiments, the materials 84, 85, 86 may comprise different types foam, such as polyurethane foam (e.g., Poron XRD™, high-density polyurethane foam, low-density polyurethane foam, etc.), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, polypropylene (PP) foam, polyethylene (PE) foam), vinyl nitrile (VN) foam, or any other suitable foam. In other embodiments, one or more of the materials 84, 85, 86 may be material other than foam, such as a gel or any other suitable shock-absorbing material.

In this embodiment, a shape of the protective padding 40 generally conforms to the outer cover 42. In this embodiment, the protective padding 40 has a bent configuration such that it bends in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 to generally conform to the molded bent configuration of the outer cover 42. More particularly, in this embodiment, the protective padding includes a bend 29 in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 between the upper leg padding portion 48 ₁ and the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃ and a bend 43 in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 between the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃ and the foot padding portion 48 ₄. In this example, the bend 29 is a curved part which defines a curvature of the protective padding 40, while the bend 43 is an angular part which defines an oblique angle. The bent configuration of the protective padding 40 may be arranged in any other suitable way in other embodiments (e.g., include any number of bends, curved or angular, disposed in any suitable manner).

The protective padding 40 may be manufactured in any suitable way. For instance, with regards to the front padding element 50, in this embodiment, each of the layers 72, 74, 76 of the front padding element 50 may be directly molded (e.g., compression molded) into shape. In other embodiments, some or all of the layers 72, 74, 76 may be molded into preliminary shape first and then be machined into final shape. Also, in this embodiment, the padding materials 84, 85, 86 are adhesively bonded. Any suitable adhesive may be used (e.g., Contact Cement™, Spray Glue, etc.). The padding materials 84, 85, 86 may be retained together in any other suitable way in other embodiments (e.g., by being overmolded). The protective padding 40 may be made using any other suitable manufacturing methods in other embodiments.

More particularly, in this embodiment, with additional reference to FIG. 22, a shape of the front padding element 50 generally conforms to the outer cover 42. This may help to position the outer cover 42 on the protective padding 40 and to properly interface them. For instance, having the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 generally conform to the molded shape of the outer cover 42 can avoid having to further bend, straighten, or otherwise deform the outer cover 42 and/or front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 when assembling the leg pad 10. In other words, the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 is shaped to accommodate the molded shape of the outer cover 42.

Thus, in this example, front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 has a bent configuration such that it bends in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 to generally conform to the molded bent configuration of the outer cover 42. More particularly, in this example, front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 has a bend 79 in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 between the upper leg padding portion 48 ₁ and the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃, which corresponds to the bend 29 of the protective padding 40. The bent configuration of front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 may be arranged in any other suitable way in other embodiments (e.g., include any number of bends, curved or angular, disposed in any suitable manner).

In this embodiment, front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 generally conforms and is affixed to an outer surface 81 of the intermediate padding element 52 of the protective padding 40, and the intermediate padding element 52 generally conforms and is affixed to an outer surface 77 of the rear padding element 54 of the protective padding 40. The intermediate padding element 52 and the rear padding element 54 of the protective padding 40 thus have bent configurations such that they bend in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 in general conformance to the bent configuration of the front padding element 50. More particularly, in this example, the rear padding element 54 has a bend 78 in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 between the upper leg padding portion 48 ₁ and the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃, and the intermediate padding element 52 has a bend 80 in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 between the upper leg padding portion 48 ₁ and the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃, the bends of the rear padding element 54 and of the intermediate padding element 52 corresponding to the bend 29 of the protective padding 40. The bent configuration of the intermediate padding element 52 and the outer surface 77 of the rear padding element 54 of the protective padding 40 may be arranged in any other suitable way in other embodiments (e.g., include any number of bends, curved or angular, disposed in any suitable manner).

More particularly, in this embodiment, the intermediate padding element 52 is shaped such that the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40, once affixed to its outer surface, will generally conform to the outer cover 42 (e.g., taking into account a thickness of the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40).

Also, in this embodiment, the bent configuration of the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 is created when providing the front padding element 50 onto the intermediate padding element 52 and the bent configuration of the rear padding element 54 of the protective padding 40 is created when providing the padding element 54 onto the intermediate padding element 52. More specifically, in this embodiment, the bent configuration of the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 is created by thermoforming (in this case, thermobending) the front padding element 50 onto the intermediate padding element 52. The rear padding element 54 may also be thermoformed (in this case, thermobent) onto the intermediate padding element 52 such that the front padding element 50 generally conforms to the intermediate padding element 52 and such that the outer surface 77 of the rear padding element 54 generally conforms to the intermediate padding element 52. For instance, in this example, the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 may be formed by heating a flat sheet of the padding material 891 and bending it onto the intermediate padding element 52 of the protective padding 40 such that it generally conforms to the outer surface 81 of the intermediate padding element 52, thereby creating the bent configuration of the front padding element 50.

In this example of implementation, the front padding element 50 is affixed to the intermediate padding element 52 and the rear padding element 54 is affixed to the intermediate padding element 52 such that the padding elements 50, 52, 54 are fused together. More specifically, the front padding element 50 may be affixed to the intermediate padding element 52 fastenerlessly and/or the rear padding element 54 may be affixed to the intermediate padding element 52 fastenerlessly. The front padding element 50 may be fused or chemically bonded to the intermediate padding element 52 (e.g., under heat, by being directly chemically bonded to the intermediate padding element 52 in a fastenerless fashion, etc.). In a similar fashion, the rear padding element 54 may be fused or chemically bonded to the intermediate padding element 52 (e.g., under heat, by being directly chemically bonded to the intermediate padding element 52 in a fastenerless fashion, etc.). In this embodiment, the front padding element 50 and the intermediate padding element 52 may be affixed together by being molded with one another and/or the rear padding element 54 and the intermediate padding element 52 may be affixed together by being molded with one another. In other embodiments, the front padding element 50 may be affixed to the intermediate padding element 52 fastenerlessly and/or the rear padding element 54 may be affixed to the intermediate padding element 52 using an adhesive applied between respective ones of the layers 72, 74, 76. Any suitable adhesive may be used (e.g., Contact Cement™, Spray Glue, etc.). In other embodiments, the front padding element 50 may be affixed to the intermediate padding element 52 fastenerlessly and/or the rear padding element 54 may be affixed to the intermediate padding element 52 using one or more mechanical fasteners.

With additional reference to FIGS. 23 to 26, in this embodiment, in addition to being retained between the outer cover 42 and the inner liner 44, the protective padding 40 is also laced to the outer cover 42 and/or the inner liner 40 by the lacing arrangement 14 including the laces 15 ₁-15 _(L). More particularly, in this embodiment, the lacing arrangement 14 interacts with the protective padding 40, the outer cover 42 and the inner liner 40 to lace them together. To that end, the protective padding 40 comprises lacing openings 112 ₁-112 _(O) that receive the lacing arrangement 14. In this example, the lacing openings 112 ₁-112 _(O) are respectively defined by holes 114 ₁-114 _(O) in the front padding element 50 of the protective padding 40 and holes 116 ₁-116 _(O) in the inner layer 76 of the protective padding 40 that are aligned with corresponding ones of the holes 114 ₁-114 _(O). In some cases, the lacing openings 112 ₁-112 _(O) may be formed (e.g., by drilling, piercing, etc.) after the layers 72, 74, 76 of the protective padding 40 have been assembled (e.g., to ensure that their holes 116 ₁-116 _(O), 114 ₁-114 _(O) align).

Also, in this embodiment, the lacing arrangement 14 comprises a lacing member 120 affixed to an inner surface 11 of the outer cover 42. More particularly, in this embodiment, the lacing member 120 comprises a band 122 and a plurality of lacing ports 124 ₁-124 _(P) that extend laterally from the band 122 and are distributed in the longitudinal direction of the leg pad 10 to receive one or more of the laces 15 ₁-15 _(L). In this example, the lacing ports 124 ₁-124 _(P) are passed through respective ones of the lacing openings 112 ₁-112 _(O) of the protective padding 40 and then receive one or more of the laces 15 ₁-15 _(L) to secure the outer cover 42, the inner liner 44 and the protective padding 40 together. For instance, in this example, a lace 15 _(i) may be received in the lacing ports 124 ₁-124 _(P) to secure the outer cover 42 and the protective padding 40, and another lace 15 ₁ extending through openings in the inner liner 44 may be received in the lacing ports 124 ₁-124 _(P) to secure the inner liner 44 and the protective padding 40. In this case, the lacing member 120 is made of polymeric material (e.g., nylon) and adhesively bonded to the inner surface 11 of the outer cover 42. In other cases, the lacing member 120 may be configured in any other suitable manner, made of any other suitable material, and/or affixed in any other suitable way to the inner surface 11 of the outer cover 42.

The protective padding 40 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, the padding 40 may be made of a single shock-absorbing material (e.g., a single foam).

The inner liner 44 of the pad 10 is configured to face the goalie's leg 16. A material 76 of the inner liner 44 may be of any suitable kind. For example, in some embodiments, the material 76 may be fabric such as a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, synthetic microfibers, a synthetic woven knit, a polyurethane laminate, a mesh, or any other suitable fabric. The inner liner 44 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.

The outer cover 42, the inner liner 44, and the protective padding 40 of the pad 10 may be connected together in any suitable way. For example, in some embodiments, two or more of the outer cover 42, the inner liner 44, and the protective padding 40 may be fastened by one or more fasteners, such as a stitching (i.e., a series of stitches), an adhesive, a series of staples, one or more laces, etc.

In this embodiment, with additional reference to FIGS. 27 to 31, the attachment mechanism 90 configured to attach the leg pad 10 to the hockey-goalkeeper skate 11 comprises a quick-connect system 120 configured to attach the leg pad 10 to the skate 11 quickly and easily.

Notably, in this embodiment, the quick-connect system 120 is configured to attach the leg pad to the skate 11 without passing a lace (i.e., a cord or any other type of lace) through the skate 11 (e.g., through a blade holder 184 of the skate 11) every time the leg pad 10 is to be attached to the skate 11. In fact, in this example, the quick-connect system 120 is configured to attach the leg pad to the skate 11 without manually touching a lace every time the leg pad 10 is to be attached to the skate 11.

In this embodiment, the quick-connect system 120 is configured to attach the leg pad 10 to the skate 11 solely by moving the leg pad 10 and the skate 11 closer to one another, without manually touching the quick-connect system 120.

More particularly, in this embodiment, the quick-connect system 120 comprises a connector 140 mounted to the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10 and a connector 150 mountable to the skate 11. The connector 140 of the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10 is connectable to the connector 150 of the skate 11 without lace tying (i.e., without tying a lace every time of the leg pad 10 is to be attached to the skate 11).

In this example, the connector 140 of the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10 is connectable to the connector 150 of the skate 11 solely by moving the connector 150 of the skate 11 closer to the connector 140 of the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10. More specifically, in this embodiment, the connector 140 of the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10 and the connector 150 of the skate 11 are magnetically connectable to one another. Thus, the connector 140 of the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10 and the connector 150 of the skate 11 are magnetic connectors. The connector 140 of the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10 comprises a magnetic connecting element 143 and the connector 150 of the skate 11 comprises a magnetic connecting element 153 magnetically connectable to the magnetic connecting element 143 of the connector 140 of the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10.

More specifically, in this example, the magnetic connecting element 143 of the connector 140 is a female magnetic connecting element and the magnetic connecting element 153 of the skate 11 is a male magnetic connecting element.

In this embodiment, the connector 140 of the foot portion 33 of the leg pad 10 comprises a clipping element 145 and the connector 150 of the skate 11 comprises a clipping element 155. The clipping elements 145, 155 are configured to be in a clipping arrangement with one another. More specifically, in this embodiment, the clipping element 145 is a female clipping element and the clipping element 155 is a male clipping element. The female clipping element 145 comprises a void capable of receiving the male clipping element 155 in a clipped configuration.

When they engage one another, the connectors 140 and 150 may attract each other by any suitable force and the quick-connect system 120 may have any suitable length and stiffness.

The quick-connect system 120 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.

For example, in other embodiments, the quick-connect system 120 may comprise a clip, a hook-and-loop fastener, etc.

As another example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33, part of the quick-connect system 120 may be integrated to the skate 11 during manufacture of the skate 11. For instance, in this embodiment, the connector 150 may be integrated with the skate 11, i.e., the skate 11 may be manufactured with the connector 150 of the quick-connect system 120.

In particular, the skate 11 may comprise: a skate boot 182 for receiving a foot of the hockey goalkeeper, the skate boot 182 comprising a shell 190 and a liner 192; a blade 186 for contacting ice; and a blade holder 184 between the skate boot 182 and the blade 186. The skate boot 182 may comprise a tongue 194 comprising an comprises an instep portion of the skate 11 configured to face an instep of the foot of the hockey goalkeeper, and a toe cap 196 for facing toes of the foot of the hockey goalkeeper. In this example, the skate boot 182 may be free of a tendon guard and the tongue may define a highest point of the skate boot 182.

As shown in FIG. 32, in some the connector 150, including the magnetic connecting element 153 and the clipping element 155, may be integrated in the blade holder 184. More specifically, the connector 150 may be part of a front portion of the blade holder 184. The connector 150 may be affixed to the blade holder 184 by any suitable means. For instance, the connector 150 may be fastened to the blade holder 184 by a fastener such as a chemical fastener (e.g., an adhesive), a mechanical fastener (e.g., rivets, screws, nuts and bolts, etc.). In some embodiments, the connector 150 may be integrally made with the blade holder 184.

As shown in FIG. 33, in some embodiments, the connector 150, including the magnetic connecting element 153 and the clipping element 155, may be integrated in the skate boot 182. More specifically, the connector 150 may be disposed at a toe portion of the skate boot 182, e.g., at the toe cap 196. The connector 150 may be affixed to the skate boot 182 by any suitable means. For instance, the connector 150 may be fastened to the toe cap 196 by a fastener such as a chemical fastener (e.g., an adhesive), a mechanical fastener (e.g., rivets, screws, nuts and bolts, etc.). In some embodiments, the connector 150 may be integrally made with the toe cap 196.

In some embodiments, the skate 11 may comprise a cowling for protecting the foot of the hockey goalkeeper from flying pucks. In a similar fashion as discussed above with regards to the blade holder 184 and the skate boot 182, the connector 150 may be integrated in the cowling of the skate 11.

The leg pad 10, may be constructed in various other ways in other embodiments.

For example, in some embodiments, one or more of the layers 72, 74, 76 of the padding element 50 of the main pad member 36 may cover less than an entirety of that padding element 50 such that parts of the intermediate layer 74 engage the inner liner 44 or the outer cover 42. In some embodiments, a given one of the layers 72, 74, 76 may comprise an aperture at a pre-determined portion 33 of the leg pad 10.

As another example, as shown in FIG. 31, in some embodiments, the rear padding element 54 may comprise an aperture 118 at the knee portion 33 of the leg pad 10 and the intermediate padding element 52 may engage the inner liner 44 through the aperture 118.

As another example, in some embodiments, the main pad member 36 may comprise more than one outer padding element 50. For instance, in this embodiment, the main pad member 36 comprises a plurality of distinct outer padding elements 50 covering respective portions of the main pad member 36. Together, the outer padding elements 50 may cover at least a majority (i.e., a majority or an entirety) of the frontal portion of the main pad member 36. In some embodiments, the main pad member 36 may also comprise a plurality of intermediate padding elements 52 and/or a plurality of rear padding elements 54 which similarly cover respective portions of the main pad member 36. In this embodiment, with additional reference to FIGS. 34 and 35, the set of padding elements 50, 52, 54 covering the foot padding portion 48 ₄ may be distinct and separate from the set of padding elements 50, 52, 54 covering the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃. That is, the foot padding portion 48 ₄ and the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃ may be distinct sets of padding elements 50, 52, 54 that are separate from one another and assembled during manufacturing of the leg pad 10. For example, each of the foot padding portion 48 ₄ and the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃ may be a set of padding elements 50, 52, 54 molded, machined, or otherwise formed individually as a distinct piece. In some cases, a link 87 may be affixed to the foot padding portion 48 ₄ and the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃ to interconnect the foot padding portion 48 ₄ and the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃. For example, the link 87 may comprise a band stitched, adhesively bonded, or otherwise affixed to the foot padding portion 48 ₄ and the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃. In other cases, there may be direct no link between the sets of padding elements 50, 52, 54 of the foot padding portion 48 ₄ and of the lower leg padding portion 48 ₃, which may be retained purely by their placement between the outer cover 42 and the inner liner 44.

Although the front padding element 50 described above is a padding element of the main pad member 36, in some embodiments, the medial knee wing 37, of the medial calf wing 49, of the lateral knee wing 39 and/or of the lateral calf wing 61 may have a similar structure and/or comprise a padding element 50 similar or identical to the padding element 50 of the main pad member 36. In some embodiments, the medial knee wing 37, of the medial calf wing 49, of the lateral knee wing 39 and/or of the lateral calf wing 61 may also comprise an intermediate padding element 52 and/or a rear padding element 54 which may be similar or identical to respective ones of the padding elements 52, 54 of the main pad member 36.

Although in the embodiments described above the hockey goalkeeper pad 10 is a hockey goalkeeper leg pad, in some embodiments, the hockey goalkeeper pad 10 may be another type of pad. For instance, in some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 37 to 39, the hockey goalkeeper pad 10 is a blocker glove wearable over a hand of the hockey goalkeeper to block a projectile such as a puck or ball while playing hockey (e.g., when it is shot towards a hockey net tended by the hockey goalkeeper) and to protect the hand.

In this embodiment, the blocker 10 comprises a glove 112 configured to receive the goalie's hand and a dorsal portion 130 configured to be positioned adjacent to a dorsal portion of the hand of the hockey goalkeeper when the blocker 10 is worn over the hand. More specifically, in this embodiment, the dorsal portion 130 comprises a blocking member 114 disposed over the glove 112 and configured to block the puck. The glove 112 comprises finger portions 116 ₁-116 ₄ configured to receive the goalie's fingers, a thumb portion 118 configured to receive a thumb of the goalie's hand, a palm portion 120 configured to overlie a palm of the goalie's hand, and a back portion 122 configured to overlie a back (i.e., dorsum) of the goalie's hand.

In this embodiment, the blocker 10 comprises a finger-protecting member 124 disposed between and movable relative to the blocking member 114 and respective ones of the finger portions 116 ₁-116 ₄ of the glove 112 and configured to protect respective ones of the goalie's fingers that are received in the respective ones of the finger portions 116 ₁-116 ₄ of the glove 112.

The blocker 10 may also comprise a medial portion 132 respectively configured to be positioned adjacent to a dorsal portion and a medial portion of the hand of the hockey goalkeeper when the hockey goalkeeper blocker is worn over the hand. More specifically, in this embodiment, the medial portion comprises a side-protecting member 127 overlying and movable relative to the thumb portion 118 of the glove 112 and configured to protect a side of the goalie's hand, as well as a cuff 129 configured to overlie a wrist of the goalie.

The glove 112 may be affixed to the blocking member 114 in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, the glove 112 may be configured to be detachable from the blocking member 114. In other embodiments, the glove 112 may be made integral with the blocking member 114.

The portions 130, 132 of the hockey goalkeeper blocker may comprise the outer cover 42, which defines an outermost surface of the blocker 10, the inner liner 44 and the protective padding 40 thereinbetween, and the portions 130, 132 may comprise one or more of the padding elements 50 described above.

Certain additional elements that may be needed for operation of some embodiments have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain embodiments may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element that is not specifically disclosed herein.

Any feature of any embodiment discussed herein may be combined with any feature of any other embodiment discussed herein in some examples of implementation.

In case of any discrepancy, inconsistency, or other difference between terms used herein and terms used in any document incorporated by reference herein, meanings of the terms used herein are to prevail and be used.

Although various embodiments and examples have been presented, this was for purposes of description, but should not be limiting. Various modifications and enhancements will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. 

1. A hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg, the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprising a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg, the main pad member comprising: a. an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; b. an inner liner for facing the leg; and c. protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member; and a material of a first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from a material of a second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.
 2. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 1, wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured to generate a springboard effect when a puck or ball impacts the main pad member.
 3. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 1, wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured such that a ratio of a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding at a first-ever impact of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding over the coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h is at least 0.8.
 4. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 1, wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured such that a ratio of a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding at a first-ever impact of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding over the coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h is at least 0.9.
 5. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 1, wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured such that a ratio of a thickness of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h over the thickness of the protective padding before any impact of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding is at least 0.90.
 6. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 1, wherein the layers of the front one of the padding elements are configured such that a ratio of a thickness of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of the puck or ball of at least 80 km/h over the thickness of the protective padding before any impact of the puck or ball at the specified location of the protective padding is at least 0.95.
 7. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 1, wherein a coefficient of restitution of the protective padding after at least ten impacts of a puck or ball at a specified location of the protective padding with an inbound speed of 80 km/h is at least 0.35.
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 1, wherein a material of a third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.
 11. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 10, wherein the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is disposed between the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.
 12. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 11, wherein the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is an outermost one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is an intermediate one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is an innermost one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.
 13. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 12, wherein the material of the outermost one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements corresponds to the material of the innermost one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.
 14. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 11, wherein each of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is denser than the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.
 15. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 11, wherein each of (i) a ratio of a density of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over a density of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and (ii) a ratio of a density of the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the density of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is at least 1.1.
 16. (canceled)
 17. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 11, wherein each of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is stiffer than the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.
 18. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 11, wherein each of a modulus of elasticity of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and a modulus of elasticity of the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is greater than a modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.
 19. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 18, wherein each of (i) a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and (ii) a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is at least 1.1.
 20. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 18, wherein each of (i) a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and (ii) a ratio of the modulus of elasticity of the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements over the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is at least 1.3.
 21. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 11, wherein each of the material of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the material of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is foam.
 22. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 21, wherein the foam of the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the foam of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the foam of the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements are based on a common base polymer.
 23. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 22, wherein the common base polymer is polypropylene.
 24. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 10, wherein the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements are affixed together fastenerlessly.
 25. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 10, wherein the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements, and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements are fused together.
 26. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 1, wherein a thicker one of the padding elements is disposed rearwardly of the front one of the padding elements.
 27. The hockey-goalkeeper leg pad of claim 26, wherein the thicker one of the padding elements is an intermediate one of the padding elements disposed between the front one of the padding elements and a rear one of the padding elements.
 28. A hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg, the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprising a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg, the main pad member comprising: a. an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; b. an inner liner for facing the leg; and c. protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member; a material of a first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from a material of a second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements; a material of a third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is different from the material of the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements; and the second one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements is disposed between the first one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements and the third one of the layers of the front one of the padding elements.
 29. A hockey-goalkeeper leg pad wearable on a leg of the hockey goalkeeper to protect the leg, the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad comprising a main pad member configured to be wider than the leg and comprising an upper leg portion, a knee portion, a lower leg portion, and a foot portion respectively configured to face an upper leg region, a knee, a lower leg region, and a foot of the leg, the main pad member comprising: a. an outer cover defining an outermost surface of the hockey-goalkeeper leg pad; b. an inner liner for facing the leg; and c. protective padding disposed between the outer cover and the inner liner, the protective padding comprising a plurality of padding elements that are distinct and arranged adjacent one another in a thicknesswise direction of the main pad member, wherein: a front one of the padding elements comprises a plurality of layers that are layered in the thicknesswise direction of the main pad member and configured to generate a springboard effect when a puck or ball impacts the main pad member. 30.-59. (canceled) 